Ronald Reagan's other soul mate

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan on Monday described Margaret Thatcher and her husband as “political soul mates.”

“It is well known that my husband and Lady Thatcher enjoyed a very special relationship as leaders of their respective countries during one of the most difficult and pivotal periods in modern history,” Reagan said in a statement. “Ronnie and Margaret were political soul mates, committed to freedom and resolved to end Communism.”

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In a later interview on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” the former first lady said she had a “special relationship” with Thatcher.

“I think people thought that she and I didn’t have a relationship,” Nancy Reagan said by phone from California. “Nothing could be farther from the truth. We had a very special relationship. And of course, I loved it that she and Ronnie were as close as they were.”

Noting the Reagans’ first and late state dinner were held with Thatcher, Nancy Reagan said her husband and Thatcher were friends and allies “from the very beginning, the first time they met.”

Ronald Reagan and the former British prime minister, who died Monday, worked closely together in combating communism in the last years of the Cold War, Nancy Reagan noted.

“As Prime Minister, Margaret had the clear vision and strong determination to stand up for her beliefs at a time when so many were afraid to ‘rock the boat,’” Reagan said in her statement. “As a result, she helped to bring about the collapse of the Soviet Union and the liberation of millions of people.”

Reagan also touched on the alliance between the United States and Great Britain.

“Ronnie and I knew her as a dear and trusted friend, and I will miss her,” she continued. “The United States knew Margaret as a spirited and courageous ally, and the world owes her a debt of gratitude.”